


A Day of Rest

by F-117 Nighthawk (F117_Nighthawk)



Series: Dark Matter [15]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Common Cold, Couch Cuddles, Fluff, Keith just rest godamnit, M/M, Sickfic, no weird space illnesses this time, sometimes people just need to hug Keith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-14
Updated: 2017-09-14
Packaged: 2018-12-29 16:20:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12088731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/F117_Nighthawk/pseuds/F-117%20Nighthawk
Summary: After a long mission Keith catches a cold. Sometimes even he needs rest.





	A Day of Rest

**Author's Note:**

> this exists purely bc i have a cold and want someone to sit on the couch and read me books and cuddle me and give me tea. Colds are the worst bc you have enough energy to complain but not enough to do anything

Keith woke up with a scratchy throat and stuffed up nose and internally groaned. It was rare he got a cold and when he did it was always during or directly after a time of heightened stress. It was go figure that, despite being  _ in space _ , he was gonna catch a cold now directly after a month-long mission. He refused to open his eyes and burrowed deeper into his blankets, curling up in a ball to conserve as much heat as he could despite the likely possibility of a slight fever.

He lay there for a while, trying not to sniffle too much or sneeze all over the bed. The alarm went off a few minutes later and on the other side of the bed Lance stirred awake. He pulled the sleeping mask off his face and yawned, stretching his arms above his head. Keith watched him through half-open eyes, wishing his head would just get rid of the mucus already.

“Morning, beautiful,” Lance chirped, rolling slightly to face him. Keith just grunted at him, not a morning person on a good day. Lance pressed a good morning kiss to his forehead and rolled off the bed to remove his face mask. Keith sighed and rolled over into Lance’s space, soaking up the lingering warmth. He wondered if Alteans had colds and if so was there something Coran could give him to magically cure him of this because he did  _ not _ have time for this. He had to get up for morning training and breakfast, then there was group training and Scarlet needed some work done on her back legs after the last mission. 

He sat up and reached for the tissues on their nightstand but a tickle in the back of his throat made itself known. He tried to clear his throat to get rid of it but it quickly devolved into a coughing fit, doubling him over. He winced in pain and groaned, rubbing his nose with one hand. Blue pajamas entered his vision. “Dude, you okay?”

“Fine,” he said. His voice was surprisingly not hoarse, although it was the beginning of the day so that was sure to change.

He could hear Lance’s raised eyebrow in his voice. “You don’t sound okay.”

“It’s just a cold, I’ll be fine.”

“Keith, we’re in space, exposed to pathogens we’ve never seen before. You gotta at least get Coran to look at you.” Lance moved closer to him as he spoke until he was standing right in front of him.

Keith leaned forward and smushed his face into Lance’s chest. His arms wrapped around him, holding him gently there. “Fine, after breakfast.”

“Alright.”

Keith coughed his way through breakfast and Shiro immediately sent him down to the med-bay with Coran. Coran announced that it was just a simple human cold and that he’d be fine provided he rested. Resting was a bit of a problem for him though. Rest? He knew not the meaning of the word. When Shiro found him heading towards the training deck barely fifteen minutes later he sighed, grabbed hold of his brother’s arm, and marched him towards Lance who was sitting in the common room. 

“If I see you within fifty meters of the training deck before tomorrow afternoon you’re staying in your room for three days.  _ Rest, Keith.” _

Keith pouted but let Shiro push him down on the couch next to Lance. “I’ll find you some decongestant. Don’t. Move.”

He felt Lance’s eyes on him as he watched Shiro leave in the direction of the med bay. “Soooo, Shiro catch you trying to work out while you’re sick?”

“Yes.” His voice was significantly scratchier now and he winced at the sound of it. He wasn’t that sick, really, it was just a cough, and clogged sinuses, and maybe a slowly growing headache and slight fever. Nothing life threatening, he could train. Lance seemed to sense these thoughts and put his tablet down and shifted closer to Keith, pulling him against his side. Keith sighed and curled against him. Lance rubbed his back, soothing circles that sucked the tension he hadn’t realized had built up in his back out. He practically melted against Lance, closing his eyes to enjoy the moment. 

After a few minutes Shiro came back with a bottle, a box of tissues, and a steaming mug. “Take one of these, and Hunk made you tea.” He grudgingly swallowed the pill but gratefully took the tea.

“Tell Hunk thanks,” he rasped out after a sip. He leaned back into Lance and sipped his tea.

Shiro looked between him and Lance. “You okay taking care of him? Capable of stopping him from training while he’s sick?”

“I’m probably more capable than you, Shiro.”

“Fair point. He never does listen to me.”

“He is quite the stubborn cat.”

“I’m sitting right here.”

Lance and Shiro laughed at that. Shiro ruffled his hair and said, “I’ll be on the bridge if you need me, okay?” Keith and Lance both nodded and Shiro left.

Keith sipped his tea and Lance picked his tablet back up. “How about I read to you?”

“What are you reading?”

“Pidge had some e-books on her computer and figured out how to upload them to the Castle’s databases so I’m reading Artemis Fowl.”

Keith stared up at him. “What’s Artemis Fowl?”

“Oh my god, really? You’ve never read the books? What was your childhood!”

“A lot of death.”

Lance looked at him, a little taken aback at the dark joke, but seemed to decide to ignore it. “I’m definitely reading to you now. Settle in and prepare to be amazed by the wonder that is Artemis Fowl.

“How does one describe Artemis Fowl? Various psychiatrists have tried and failed. The main problem is Artemis's own intelligence. He bamboozles every test thrown at him. He has puzzled the greatest medical minds and sent many of them gibbering to their own hospitals.

“There is no doubt that Artemis is a child prodigy. But why does someone of such brilliance dedicate himself to criminal activities? This is a question that can be answered by only one person. And he delights in not talking.”

As Lance continued reading Keith slipped down until his head was resting on Lance’s legs. Lance’s hand that wasn’t holding the tablet moved to stroke through his hair. He put the mug down on the table and closed his eyes, listening to the story. He drifted off to dreams of Holly Short being badass.

When Shiro came in to check on them later Lance had shifted them so he was stretched out mostly asleep, Keith snoring slightly and curled up on his chest. He smiled and dimmed the lights in the room, collecting up the cold tea and removing a stack of used tissues. He ran to their room and back and threw a blanket over them, then went back to the bridge. Keith was well taken care of; his cold would be gone in no time.


End file.
